Don’t make it easy for crooks, police advise

MIDLAND – Being the victim of a crime can be devastating, but avoiding being an easy target is not difficult.

That was the message Midland police Chief Mike Osborne and Const. Dave Young touted during a presentation at Askennonia Senior Centre last week as part of a campaign called “Crime Prevention – It Starts With You.”

The provincial initiative is about telling citizens that the only way to stop crime is for everyone to do his or her part, Osborne told The Mirror.

“Whether I am a police officer or not, when I go home there are things I can do around my home and with my vehicle so I am not such an easy target,” he said.

An example, he said, is improving the security around one’s home.

“There are things we are doing now called CPTED – crime prevention through environmental design,” he said. “We do this with break-and-enter victims, as they are often revictimized because people may realize their home is an easy target.”

Easy steps include:

• removing shrubbery around basement windows, denying crooks the chance to enter without being seen;

• putting better locks on doors;

• installing better lighting or motion-sensor lights.

• having someone pick up your mail when you’re gone, and installing lighting timers so it looks like someone is home.

Osborne said the campaign also covers vehicles. He suggested not leaving valuables in plain sight, not leaving keys in the vehicle, and keeping the doors locked.

“Leaving your property as easy access makes you a target. It starts with you,” he said. “Un-victimize yourself or make yourself a harder target.”

Osborne and Young also discussed email scams and how people can help protect themselves.

“One of the easiest ways is to educate yourself and take a computer course,” said the chief. “A lot of people get on the Internet, but don’t understand the simple things they can do to protect themselves, such as better passwords or recognizing and not responding to certain types of emails that are trying to fish and gather data.”